Edinburgh-based Octavoce have just returned from a successful trip to the City of Derry International Choir Festival. The a cappella vocal octet, whose members are made of many former St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and Music School pupils, came home with first prize in the National Mixed Voice category and second prize in both the Vocal Ensemble and Pop, Jazz and Gospel categories.
'beautiful artistic sound' (Josep Vila Casanas - conductor of Lieder Camera Chamber choir)
Having debuted at the festival last year and won the Vocal Ensemble category, the choir were the talk of the festival this year, winning the highly competitive National Mixed Voice category with a performance of O Radiant Dawn by Scottish composer James Macmillan, and an arrangement of Rossini’s The Overture to the Barber of Seville. Octavoce achieved consistently high marks, scoring over 90% in each category and were praised as ‘amazing’ and ‘heavenly’.
'thank you for a great musical experience' (Borbala Sziranyi, choir conductor, Liszt Academy of music)
Octavoce was founded in 2009 in Aberdeen by two former choristers of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Nicola and Thomas Henderson. Former chorister Jennifer Sterling and former Music School pupil Jessica Conway also sing with the group. Octavoce regularly perform around the UK, with their Christmas series in Edinburgh and the Black Isle a particular highlight. In 2020, their 10th Anniversary year, they have been invited to perform at the Korkyra Baroque Festival in Croatia.
'you have brought great life and musicality to the festival with delightful attention to detail.... Flexible, stylish ensemble with impressive vocal ability'
(Roisin Blunnie - assistant professor of music, Dublin City University, conductor of Laetare Vocal Ensemble)
This year was the 7th City of Derry International Choir Festival, running 23-27 October 2019. It has both national and international competitions, attracting choirs from across the UK, Ireland and around the world. Their vision to “inspire by our work a love and appreciation for choral singing in present and future generations” was certainly apparent throughout the festival, with a sense of collaboration and camaraderie between the many performers from around the world, extending from the competition stage to the closing party in the festival bar!